Burks to Retire from State Senate

State Sen. Charlotte Burks, D-Monterey, will retire at the end of her current term, the Herald-Citizen reports. Burks has represented the Upper Cumberland area since 1998 when she made history as the first ever “write-in” candidate to win a Senate seat following the death of her husband Sen. Tommy Burks. Much of her focus in office has been in the areas of education, domestic violence and children’s issues. Burke has been an eight-time recipient of the “Legislator of the Year” award from the Tennessee Coalition against Domestic and Sexual Violence and achieved national recognition from the U.S. Attorney General’s Foundation for the Improvement of Justice. To show appreciation for the constituents of her district, Burke will host a reception Oct. 10 at the Leslie Town Centre in Cookeville from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.